Bitterroot National Forest; Montana; Gold Butterfly Project Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement
| Published date | 15 December 2020 |
| Record Number | 2020-27546 |
| Section | Notices |
| Court | Forest Service |
Federal Register, Volume 85 Issue 241 (Tuesday, December 15, 2020)
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 241 (Tuesday, December 15, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 81177-81178]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-27546]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Bitterroot National Forest; Montana; Gold Butterfly Project
Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a supplemental environmental impact
statement.
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SUMMARY: The Bitterroot National Forest, Stevensville Ranger District,
Montana, intends to prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact
Statement (SEIS) for the Gold Butterfly Project. Since publication of
the original EIS, it was determined that a project-specific forest plan
amendment is necessary.
DATES: The Draft SEIS is expected February 2020 and the Final SEIS is
expected May 2020.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steve Brown, Stevensville District
Ranger, by telephone at (406) 777-7410, or by email at
[email protected].
ADDRESSES: Additional information concerning this project may be
obtained at https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=51486.
Individuals who use telecommunication devices for the deaf (TDD)
may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339
between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Purpose and Need for Action
The purpose and need for the SEIS is to analyze a project-specific
Forest Plan Amendment related to management of old growth. The current
Bitterroot Forest Plan is from 1987. New and better science is
available concerning old growth ecosystems, specifically ``Old Growth
Forest Types of the Northern Region'' or Green et. al as it is more
commonly referred to in the Region. This science has already been
adopted by the majority of the Forests within R1, including those who
have revised or are currently revising their plans using the 2012
Planning Rule.
The purpose of the Gold Butterfly project is to:
Improve landscape resilience to disturbances (such as
insects, diseases, and fire) by modifying forest structure and
composition, and fuels.
Provide timber products and related jobs.
Reduce chronic sediment sources in the Willow Creek
watershed to improve water quality and bull trout habitat in the long-
term.
Restore or improve key habitats such as meadows, aspen,
and whitebark pine.
Proposed Action
The project-specific amendment would change the definition of old
growth to be consistent with Green et. al. The amendment would also set
aside management area direction related to specific percentages of old
growth required to be allocated in each management area. There is no
scientific basis for the percentages, and they do not align with the
principles outlined in Green et. al.
When proposing a Forest Plan amendment, the 2012 Planning Rule (36
CFR 219), as amended, requires the responsible official to provide in
the initial notice about the amendment ``which substantive requirements
of Sec. Sec. 219.8 through 219.11 are likely to be directly related to
the amendment (Sec. 219.13(b)(5)) . . .'' Whether a rule provision is
likely to be directly related to an amendment is determined by the
purpose for and the effects of the amendment, and informed by the best
available scientific information, effects analysis, monitoring data or
other rationale.
Based on the proposed amendment and requirement of the planning
rule, the following substantive requirements of the 36 CFR 219 planning
regulations would likely be directly related to the proposed
amendments: Sec. 219.9 Diversity of plant and animal communities.
The proposed action includes commercial harvest, non-commercial
thinning, and prescribed fire on 7,376 acres within the project area.
Approximately 90 percent of treatment acres are within the insect and
disease treatment area designated under the Healthy Forest Restoration
Act Title VI. Commercial harvest includes regeneration treatments on
2,081 acres and intermediate treatments on 3,540 acres. Approximately
392 acres of intermediate harvest would occur in dry site old growth
stands. In addition, there are 359 acres of regeneration harvest in old
growth that would remove these acres from old growth status. Road
decommissioning would occur on 22.3 miles of National Forest System
Roads and 21.3 miles of roads would be stored for future management
use. Approximately 6.4 miles of permanent road and 17.3 miles of
temporary road would be constructed to implement silvicultural
prescriptions and provide for wood removal. Best management practices
would be implemented on 32.4 miles of haul road to reduce potential
sediment runoff and improve water quality. The Burnt Fork and Willow
Creek trailheads are proposed to be moved lower in the drainages to
address watershed concerns, with the associated 2.4 miles of road being
converted to the NFS trail system.
Responsible Official
Bitterroot National Forest Supervisor.
Nature of Decision To Be Made
The decision will authorize vegetation treatments and whether to
amend the
[[Page 81178]]
Bitterroot Forest Plan site-specifically for the duration of the
project.
Christine Dawe,
Acting Associate Deputy Chief, National Forest System.
[FR Doc. 2020-27546 Filed 12-14-20; 8:45 am]
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